Even as Arvind Kejriwal government is in the crosshairs for allegedly facilitating migrant worker’s travel to Uttar Pradesh and creating a law and order situation amidst nationwide lockdown against the Wuhan coronavirus, mainstream media channel AajTak went into raptures about Delhi’s AAP government’s initiatives to feed the needy and underprivileged ones amidst stricture lockdown.
In a report (it has been changed now), AajTak showed video footage and pictures of food preparation, falsely attributing to it to Arvind Kejriwal, claiming that the AAP government had commissioned a “Community Kitchen” in Delhi for providing food daily to about 10,000 hungry and needy people in Delhi. The report extolled Arvind Kejriwal for taking “exceptional measures” to provide food and shelters to the migrant workers in Delhi.
However, the video footage and images shared by AajTak were not from Arvind Kejriwal’s “Community Kitchen”. The photos and video were of the food preparation done by Jhandewalan Temple Trust and members of Sewa Bharati which was to be served to the needy and hungry people amid the coronavirus lockdown in the National Capital.
Delhi: Jhandewalan Temple Trust and volunteers of Sewa Bharati are preparing food to be served to needy, amid lockdown due to #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/e98xcntvav
— ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020
The Jhandewalan Temple Trust overlooks the Jhandewalan Temple, a Hindu temple in Delhi’s Karolbagh area, dedicated to goddess Aadi Shakti. It is among the oldest temple in Delhi and located on Jhandewalan road. The food was prepared by the volunteers and temple devotees. However, AajTak incorrectly ascribed their charitable activity to Arvind Kejriwal government.
However, after being called out for its false reportage, AajTak promptly rectified its report, giving due credit to the Jhandewalan Temple Trust for feeding 10,000 people per day. The article toned down its flattery for Arvind Kejriwal government, saying that various non-governmental organisations such as temple trusts have stepped up to assist the migrant workers by providing them with food and shelter.
Speaking to OpIndia, one of the full-time members of Sewa Bharati, Bhupendra claimed that the kitchen has been set up since March 22 where daily food for 30,000 people is being prepared. He also issued a clarification claiming that besides Jhandewalan Temple Trust and Sewa Bharati, there is no third party involved in the operation of the kitchen.
Of late, Kejriwal government was under severe criticism for allegedly transporting migrant workers to the Uttar Pradesh border, causing a grave public health crisis as thousands of workers lined up at the border amidst the coronavirus lockdown. The Yogi Adityanath government quickly swung into action, commissioning 1000 buses to take the migrant workers waiting at the border to their respective villages. The Uttar Pradesh government later accused Arvind Kejriwal led AAP government in Delhi of playing petty politics, lying and spreading rumours, risking the lives of migrant workers at the time of a crisis as serious as the Coronavirus pandemic.
